Liesl and the Undead
by ApollotheSun
Summary: Friedrich loves Liesl with all his heart, but his world is shaken one night while walking to the cinema with her, and his life will never be the same again.


I didn't know Liesl's secret until the day they came to Berlin: March 2, 1946.

The undead. Liesl and I were sixteen.

The puzzle pieces- her strength, her speed, the way she snuck up on people so silently, the way she never seemed to tire, her unbelievably hard skin, her oddly-coloured eyes, and her impossible beauty- all fell into place.

That day, or should I say, night, we were walking to the cinema when we heard a moan. It was long and eerie but sounded like it was from far away. Liesl pinned me against a wall and dropped into a crouch in front of me.

"Liesl, shouldn't I be the one protecting you?" I asked smoothly, unaware of the danger we were in.

"Friedrich, don't be silly," she snapped, her eyes flashing. Then her eyes snapped towards the street corner. My legs turned to jelly…

There was a whole wave of them. The undead. At least forty-five. A putrid smell rolled off of their gray, rotting flesh. Partially decomposed eyes glared, and shapeless mouths leered at us. I started to run, but Liesl's hand darted out and grabbed the collar of my shirt, pulling me back.

"Not so fast, Friedrich," she hissed.

"Come now," I said, chuckling slightly. "How are you supposed to save me?"

"You'll see," she said, smiling brilliantly like usual.

How is she so beautiful?!

"Just stay put," she demanded, jerking me out of my stupor.

The events that followed should have been impossible. Liesl leaped up into the air. At the height of her jump she slammed her foot against the wall and flew forward. She landed in the throng, and soon she disappeared into the crowd of undead.

"No!" I screamed. I started to run forward, but something pinned me back against the wall. Then the unseen force darted away, and I sagged against the wall, cold sweat pouring down my face.

Chomps, moans, and an insane shriek rose from the battle. "Liesl, Liesl, don't leave me…" I sobbed.

How long I stayed at the wall, I don't know. But soon the sun started to rise, and soon a bright gleam rose from the zombies. What it was, I had no idea.

Then I saw her. My Liesl. She was twirling and dancing in the center of the undead, unscathed. As I watched, her arm swung out and crushed a zombie's skull. It was downed immediately. But then Liesl smiled at me, and she disappeared from view.

I don't mean a zombie hid her. She literally just vanished. I brushed my wrist across my eyes. Apparently I was not hallucinating.

Then I noticed something eerie. The glow had been coming off of Liesl's skin. It had been glowing like millions of tiny diamonds were set into it. No one's skin glows like that…

Afterward, I remembered having my face being pressed into Liesl's cold, hard neck, my tears flowing endlessly onto the collar of her black, lacy blouse.

I suppose I had passed out, because the next thing I knew, I was lying in a bed in a tiny, windowless room. I blinked and looked around. Liesl was lying next to me, her cold skin pressed into mine. One eye was covered with the pillow, and the other was open, staring at me.

"Liesl!" I said. "Wie geht es Ihnen noch am Leben?" I demanded (How are you still alive?).

Liesl laughed, sitting upright in bed. She swung her legs out of bed and sat there, just laughing. Then she stopped, and stared at me gravely. "Friedrich, you have a horrible fever and you've gone into shock. If I told you now I'd just make it worse."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Tell me, Liesl, please."

"All right. Let me tell you. Trust me, you won't like this," she said.

Liesl's brother and father had been turned into undead many years ago, and Liesl's mother had committed suicide upon learning this. Liesl had sworn to rid the city of these vermin.

"But that doesn't answer my question!" I exclaimed. "How did you kill them without getting hurt?"

"Well," Liesl said.

Apparently she had been walking back to her grandmother's house one night a few years ago when a wild woman with, as Liesl had described it, "with horrifying red eyes." The woman had bitten her, and then followed the worst pain Liesl had ever felt in her life. When the pain passed she was new- whole.

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling ill.

Liesl turned to look at me. "I'm a vampire, Friedrich," she whispered.


End file.
